local and nationally known artists since 1954, and the costumes, acting and script selections can’t be beat. Once called the “living room of the Salem community,” the Elsinore Theatre is a wondrously restored former vaudeville venue with stainedglass windows, sweeping balconies and the largest theater organ in the Pacific Northwest. This is the place to catch ballet, a Broadway show or stand-up comedy. For a performance you’ll remember forever, Keizer Daniel V. O’Neil PROFILE JEREMY OKAI DAVIS When the Salem Art Association reached out to Portland artist Jeremy Okai Davis and asked him to create a series of 10 portraits depicting the stories of early Black Oregon pioneers, Davis felt it was both an affirmation and an extension of the work he was already doing: creating paintings of historic Black Americans from all around the country. You can see Davis’ Oregon portraits on display at the new America Waldo Bogle Gallery in Salem’s Bush House Museum, and they’re an intoxicating study of color, texture, depth — and the subject matter’s perseverance. One of Davis’ portraits is a large-scale painting of America Waldo Bogle, an enslaved Black woman who was brought to Salem in the mid-1840s, and whom the new gallery is named for. But all of Davis’ portraits are equally extraordinary in the stories they convey. Ultimately, Davis hopes the portraits spark the viewer’s curiosity about the lives of early Black Oregonians. “Art opens up a whole new avenue for finding out about people,” Davis says. “I want these paintings to help establish the narrative that Black people have been in Oregon for a long time and that the stories they’ve lived have been pretty incredible.” BushHouseMuseum.org Homegrown Theatre features an impressive lineup of live theater directed by and starring local talent, and it’s located inside a historic schoolhouse. Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre dates back to 1900 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This thriving arts destination features everything from live concerts and plays to lectures and film series. Willamette University’s Theatre 33 helps Pacific Northwest playwrights develop their scripts from the workshopping stages to the exciting onstage performances. Chemeketa Community College’s Salem campus puts on performances showcasing the exceptional talents of Chemeketa’s students and staff, in conjunction with theater professionals throughout the Willamette Valley. Top off your tour of the Salem area’s student talents with a play at Salem’s Corban University and Monmouth’s Western Oregon University. Pentacle Theatre 19 TravelSalem.com
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